I wonder when the best learning takes place. Does it happen in a classroom, or do we, as teachers, simply encourage learning in life by providing the tools needed to explore and pursue interests?

Yesterday morning, as I was preparing some eggnog coffee (very yummy, you should try it), I peeked into the living room to see my 7 year-old son working around his Lego toys with my iPad. He saw that I was awake, and told me to come and look at what he had made.

Without any formalized lesson plan, he had created his own movie about the sinking of the Britannic using his legos and the Lego Movie Maker app. We explored the app, and found out that his movie could be shown in black and white — he loved it, because it looked old. We also found out that we could play music in the background. He was able to record his voice, but it’s a little quiet compared to the music (maybe we’ll figure out how to improve this some day).

Have a look at his production:

What are your thoughts? What is the best way for people to learn? How much variety can the average classroom offer to provide ideal conditions for students to pursue their interests? How do teachers provide variety while maintaining structure & organization in a classroom setting?